Falcons Hand Out End-of-Season Awards
5/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
May 2, 2008
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force men's gymnastics program handed out its 2008 team awards at the annual end-of-season banquet earlier this week (April 30). Senior All-American Greg Stine was the top award-winner, being named the Most Valuable Player. In addition, three other Falcons received recognition from head coach Kip Simons.
Stine concluded his career as the most decorated gymnast in Air Force men's gymnastics history. Backed by top-eight finishes on the still rings and in the all-around at the NCAA Championships, Stine became the program's first All-American since 1993 and the first-ever recipient of multiple NCAA honors. In addition, he set six of seven Academy records under the new scoring system, won two USAG national titles and earned five USAG All-America certificates. The recipient of the USAG Top Senior Award, Stine accounted for 29 first-place finishes and was named Gymnast of the Week numerous times by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and College Gymnastics Association.
Classmate Brian Boardman, last year's most valuable player, received the team's Hardest Worker Award. Boardman, a solid four-year competitor for the men's team, participated on four events in every team competition this season. He also competed in the NCAA National Qualifier as a vault specialist. He posted the Falcons' second-highest vault total and tied for the third-best pommel horse score. Boardman also excels academically, as he picked up his third consecutive MPSF academic all-conference distinction.
Freshman Kipp Druecke was named the Falcons' Most Improved Gymnast. Druecke, a specialist on the pommel horse, didn't enter the team's rotation until the Pacific Coast Classic, but quickly made his mark on that event. Druecke's score of 13.550 at the USAG Team Championships is tied for the squad's third-highest total of the season. He also advanced to the individual event finals at the USAG meet, where he finished eighth.
Despite missing the second half of the season with injury, Daniel Klimkowski was named the team's Freshman of the Year. Klimkowski, an all-around competitor, posted the squad's second-best combined score of the year. He led the team on the pommel horse until his injury. Klimkowski had strong showings on the road, assisting the Falcons in back-to-back victories at Army and Springfield.
Players Mentioned
